Shattered
by Apollo199199
Summary: In the wake of his release from China and the resolution of the events of Day 6, Jack Bauer finally gets the chance to say goodbye to an old friend.


**TITLE:** Shattered  
**SUMMARY:** In the wake of his release from China and the resolution of the events of Day 6, Jack Bauer finally gets the chance to say goodbye to an old friend.

NOTE: The song used in this story is "Shattered" by Trading Yesterday

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Two years...

It's hard to imagine that nearly two years had gone by since he last seen that face. A face that still haunts his dreams. A face that reminds him everyday of his failure to protect the ones he loves.

A memory that is forever seared inside of him. A memory he could never forget.

The horror, the sadness, the emptiness, the loss, the grief, and above all, the unimaginable pain.

So here stood Jack Bauer, at the foot of a tombstone, drawn here by the memories of that terrible moment two years pass...

**Anthony Almeida  
October 1975---March 2011  
Beloved Husband and Dearest Friend**

_Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding  
Fall into your sunlight  
The future's open wide beyond believing  
To know why hope dies  
And losing what was found, a world so hollow  
Suspended in a compromise  
But the silence of this sound is soon to follow  
Somehow sundown  
And finding answers  
Is forgetting all of the questions we call home  
Passing the graves of the unknown_

Tears began to well up in his eyes as he gazed longingly at the somber tombstone.

Tony Almeida did not deserve this. His dear friend deserved to live a full life. To have a family and to be free from the darkness of the CTU world that he had tried so hard to walk away. He and Michelle deserved to be happy after all the hell they had gone through. They should have never been dragged back into a fight that wasn't theirs to fight. They should not have been placed in the crossfire. But it was that one connection, the one connection to Jack Bauer that put them in harm's way.

Yes. Jack Bauer blamed himself. He should have been the one to die a thousand deaths, but instead, it was the people he loved that paid the price for his survival.

_As reason clouds my eyes with splendor fading  
Illusions of the sunlight  
A reflection of a lie will keep me waiting  
With love gone for so long  
And this day's ending  
Is the proof of time killing all the faith I know  
Knowing that faith is all I hold_

He remembered cradling Tony's lifeless body in his arms, willing his friend to come back to life just one more time. He remembered the sudden pain in his heart as if someone had reached into his chest and torn his heart out. He remembered the darkness that clouded his eyes as he watched a sheet placed over the body of his dead friend. He remembered the anger and hatred that coursed through his veins as he tracked down Henderson and killed the man in cold blood. And he remembered that emptiness, that gut-wrentching emptiness inside of him as the day came to a peaceful end but he had no one to share the joy with.

A part of him was glad that the Chinese had kidnapped him. The endless torture allowed him a reason to scream, to expell out all the heartbreaking emotions that had flooded him upon the death of his best friend. And in many ways, it kept him from dealing with the reality of the situation, that he would never see friend again. He would never see that smile or those dark eyes sparkling with life.

Those two years had given him all the time in the world for him to deal with the heartbreak, the denial, the rememberance, and finally, the acceptance.

_And I've lost who I am  
And I can't understand  
Why my heart is so broken  
Rejecting your love without  
Love gone wrong  
Lifeless words carry on  
But I know, all I know's that the end's beginning  
Who I am from the start  
Take me home to my heart  
Let me go and I will run  
I will not be silent  
All this time spent in vain  
Wasted years, wasted gain  
All is lost but hope remains and this war's not over _

Kneeling down on the grassy ground, Jack reached out to touch the tombstone with gentleness and care.

So many times he was ready to give up, so many times inside the Chinese prison, and so many times just yesterday trying to save the world again. But he held on, he held on because he could hear Tony's voice, his dear friend's voice encouraging him to keep on fighting, that he couldn't give up on the world, not yet.

All those years that had gone pass, all those hell he had gone through, Jack Bauer never got the chance to say his goodbye to his dearest friend.

The harsh world had cruelly deprived him of that chance. Kept them so far apart yet so close.

So here at this silent graveyard, Jack Bauer came to make things right.

"Hey Tony, it's Jack." The former CTU agent spoke softly, "I'm sorry I didn't make it for the funeral. I'm sorry it took me this long to visit. But I have a feeling you already know why. You're probably smirking at me right now aren't you? Here I am being all mushy and emotional." Jack paused a bit as he collected himself, trying to push back his whirling emotions before speaking once more, "I wish I had taken your place. You didn't deserve to die. You should have been happy living your life with Michelle. You should be thinking about your future right now, having kids and raising them to be just as good and true as you are. This mess never should have happened. I never meant for you to get hurt, I never meant for anyone to die because of me. I am truly sorry Tony. I just want you to know that you are and always will be my best friend, the one person who never let me down. Thank you for standing by me through everything. You still mean the world to me Tony, I love you."

Leaning in, Jack placed his forehead against the cool stone as he closed his eyes and whispered, "This isn't goodbye forever Tony. We'll see each other again. And when my time comes, I hope you'll come back for me."

Slowly getting back to his feet, Jack Bauer gazed down affectionately at the stone that bared the name of his beloved friend. Just then, a warm gentle breeze brushed up against his face. He closed his eyes once more and felt the wind embrace him as if to comfort him. He could almost hear a soft voice telling him that everything would be okay.

And as the breeze slowly went away, a true genuine smile graced Jack's face for the first time since that heartwrentching moment inside CTU Medical two years ago.

There was no way to let go of the past, but Jack knew Tony would want him to go on living the best he can.

He would do this to honor his best friend's memory.

He would do this for Tony Almeida.

_There's a light, there's a sun  
Taking all these shattered ones  
To the place we belong  
And his love will conquer all_

**THE END**

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This story came to being when I was watching the last episode of season 5 and the premiere of season 7, and I thought, between the end of Day 5 and beginning of Day 6, Jack never got a chance to deal with the loss of Tony or go to Tony's funeral. With everything that's happened in those two years, Jack didn't get to say goodbye to Tony, Michelle, or Palmer. He was yanked away from all the people he cared about, he never got the closure he needed.

I figured that sometime before season 7, Jack must have gone to Tony's grave to visit and talk.

So this story is what I imagine the scene would be like.

I hope you all like it!

I would love some feedback!!

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